Post 599

I'll hit 600 posts the next time I write. And I think I've found a fitting giveaway. Because I like giving stuff away. I started this blog to keep out-of-town family and friends up-to-date on all things Cate when I was pregnant. Who knew it would grow to be such a wonderful way to capture our memories and be semi-therapeutic for me?

Anyway, we made it to the zoo yesterday. It was sunny and 70ish-- perfect weather!We had to ride the train first. They close in December, after the Festival of Lights, and it was supposed to re-open mid-March. However, it didn't reopen until the end of March. Cate was happy to take a train ride.
Some days I think she'd stay there all day. We got to sort-of see the new baby giraffe (less than a week old) and we checked out a few other animals. I managed a few great shots of Cate with the tulips just a bloomin'.
I didn't feel like getting Brennan out of the Boba to take any pictures. We're going back on Sunday, donning our Easter outfits, to take some family pictures. Look for those next week. I did snap this one of the little guy though:
My sweet girl wanted some ice cream at the zoo. The line was crazy long so we went to Baskin Robbins on our way home instead. I think Brennan sensed he would get to taste the Oreo goodness later. ;-)

And because our zoo is going green (they just installed huge solar panels in the parking lot), I decided to share about another way we're reducing, reusing, and recycling here at the Riggs house. Thredup is an online children's clothing swap. I've never been one to turn my nose up at hand-me-downs or consignment clothes, as long as they're in great shape. With Thredup, you "buy" a box of clothes for $5 +$10.95 shipping (they use flat rate boxes). The $5 essentially keeps the website running. Clothing swappers fill a box and list the boxes on the website. You can't see pictures of the clothes, but you can browse boxes and read descriptions of what they contain. I based my choices based on the clothing brands and seller ratings. I picked boxes in which the sellers were very descriptive and looked for descriptions that told me the clothes came from smoke-free homes. I had a $5 credit from our city's recycling program that I used. So I bought two boxes of clothes for about $25 ($5 for one box, the other was free with my credit and $10.95 shipping for each) and got all of this:
They're all clothes for Brennan for next winter. A pair of overalls, 8 pairs of sweats/track pants, 3 full sweats outfits, 9 tops, a pair of jammies and a pair of boots (not pictured). Oh, and two pairs of socks. Brands like Carter's, Lucky Brand, and Ralph Lauren. All in great shape! I was so pleased. I can't get that much for that amount at the consignment store. Brennan now has tons of play-clothes for the fall and winter. And I can use our clothing budget then to buy him a few nicer, new outfits. I think that's my favorite part of using a site like ThredUp or shopping consignment-- I get more for my money so the new clothes I buy can be nicer. Play-clothes will just end up dirty and stained eventually anyway.

Now, with ThredUp, you can only get 2 boxes when you first sign up. To be able to purchase more, you have to put some of your kids' stuff up there. That's why it's a swap. I just found a bin of Cate's 18 month clothes in the basement that I'm planning to put on there so that I can get more credits to buy a couple of boxes for her for the coming fall/winter. I just need ThredUp to send me my boxes (they send you the flat rate boxes, you post a description of what's in your box online, they notify you when someone buys it, you print out a shipping label and hand it to your mailman-- easy peasy). I love the idea of this swap-- check it out!

We're lying low today. The warmer weather is wonderful, but it's starting to bring out a bit of a spring cold in both of my kiddos and in myself. I'm skipping my yoga class tonight so as to not drip snot all over my mat or pass my germs around. A long, after-dinner walk is in store instead.

~Melody :-)

Stay tuned-- the next post is post 600, with a giveaway!